Chasing Aubrey
by wordstoremember
Summary: Cruz is trying to start his life over when he falls for a girl who doesn't even know he exists. Will he find a way to get through to her? Or will his old life come back to haunt him? Read to find out.
1. Prologue: Fresh Start

**PROLOGUE: FRESH START**

Coachella, California. I never thought I would end up in California, across the country from where I was born and raised in New York. But, I guess if you're going to change your life and shed away the bad things, you may as well go big or go home. My mom finally decided after years of abuse that she'd move us away from my well, Charlie. You couldn't exactly refer to him as my father because he wasn't one. Biologically speaking, yes half of him is in my chromosomes, but if you're referring to the actions of a father, he sure as hell did not act like one. It didn't quite matter how you treated Charlie because the end result would be abuse. If you were nice, he'd hit you. If you were rude, he'd hit you. It was a lose, lose situation with him. And I guess my mother had finally had enough.

After awhile, I had lost count of how many bruises and cuts I had. I lost count of how many visits to the ER I made. People started to take notice that something wasn't quite right in our family. Unfortunately, nothing was ever done about it. Which just goes to show that our society fucking sucks, please excuse my French. But when a kid has a new bruise everyday and he's constantly in the doctor's office wouldn't you think calls would be made? Well, they weren't. Thankfully after seventeen years of this hell my mom decided to get out. I don't know what the straw was that broke the camel's back, but I'm thankful that there was finally that last straw because I just couldn't take anymore hands across my face, fists in my stomach, and feet in my ribs. I couldn't bear to just sit there and fail at trying to save my family. I needed to get out just as much as my mother did.

Hello to you the state of California. Hello the city of Coachella. Hello new school. You're my fresh start.


	2. Chapter One: Who's That?

**CHAPTER ONE: WHO'S THAT?**

I sprayed the last bit of cologne I needed and ran downstairs. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. She looked up at me and smiled. "Good luck on your first day sweetheart," she said sweetly.

I rolled my eyes. "Mom I'm not seven…but thank you," I replied. She treated me like I was a little kid sometimes. I couldn't tell if she was just nostalgic or if she forgot that I was now seventeen years old. Regardless, I was nice to her. She was going through a tough time and I understood that. I grabbed my keys off of the counter and walked out the door. The warm, fresh air hit my face and I inhaled it deeply. I got in my car and drove off to school.

When I arrived in the parking lot I shut off my car and sat there for a moment looking around. It was like a scene from a movie. There were the cheerleaders sitting in the courtyard, some football players throwing a football back and forth, while the cheerleaders giggled and twirled their hair. I didn't think girls _actually_ did that. But I guess you learn something new everyday. Over on the bleachers there were a variety of groups, keeping their distance from cliques that weren't their own. The geeks- I guess you'd call them- were sitting near the bottom in a huddle reading a book and having an intense conversation by the looks of it. Up near the top were the skaters, all the way on the opposite side looked to be the gothic/emo group, clad with their black clothing and depressed and angered faces. Lastly, there was the "normal" group, the people who didn't have a defined label but simply sat and talked. _Those_were the kind of people I needed to get in with.

I stepped out of my car and threw my backpack over my shoulder. I started walking through the courtyard, when a football flew rather quickly at my face. I brought my hands up and caught it, just before it hit me. I looked around and saw a tall blonde guy waving his hand at me, so I threw it back at him and kept walking towards the stairs. My hand just reached the handle of the door, when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see the guy I had just thrown the football to. "Yo, you new?" He asked me in a deep voice.

"Uh, yeah," I replied. Obviously I was new. But then again, I forgot that this wasn't New York anymore and this wasn't a small town like I had lived in. This was a huge school, and not the type where everyone knew everyone.

"You got a nice arm, do you play football?"

"Yeah, since I was five," I said, hoping he would hurry this little chat along. I still had to make it into the office to receive my schedule.

"Sweet, you should try out for the team…what's your name?"

"Cruz," I said.

"I'm Peter," he replied.

"Well, I have to get to the main office…" I said, hoping he'd get the hint to stop talking to me.

"Alright, see you around," I just nodded and walked through the doors. It's not that I didn't want to make friends, or that I was resentful for being here and not in New York. It's just that I knew his type, I was fairly good at figuring people out the first time I saw them. He was the jock, most likely a player and probably the most popular guy in school. All the girls fawned over him and any attention they got, well it virtually gave them an orgasm. I hated guys like that, chances are he was really cocky, and people who were egotistical _really_got on my nerves. Since he was the one to come up and talk to me he was probably the captain of the football team. Which meant he didn't really want me on the team, he was just marking his territory. He wanted all the fame and glory, and if I ended up being better than him, I would have hell to pay for the rest of the time I attended this school. So, I had already decided that I wasn't going out for the football team.

I finally found the office and walked in. Back home, when you walked into the office you got a big rush of cool air when it was hot out. But since the whole school was air conditioned, there was no temperature difference. I walked to the front desk and was greeted by a lady in her mid fifties with blonde hair and a welcoming smile. "You must be Cruz!" She exclaimed, how did she already know my name?

"Yup that's me," I said. She started looking through a filing cabinet and took out a blue folder and slid it across the desk with her pink polished fingers.

"This contains all of the information you will need, your schedule is the first paper in there, and then there's a map of the school. There's the school handbook and then some papers for your parents to fill out that I'll need back tomorrow. I have a student council member for you to shadow today, so you can get around the school," she explained, her white teeth gleaming the whole time. She seemed really nice, and I had figured she'd been doing this job for a while. She was unlike my old school secretary, who was grouchy all the time. She pressed some buttons on the phone and then held it up to her mouth. "Sam Carlton to the office please, Sam Carlton," she spoke clearly over the PA system.

I went and sat down in one of the blue chairs against the wall, next to the door and looked at my schedule while I waited for Sam. My schedule didn't seem that bad.

**1AB:** Honors English -  
><strong>2AB:<strong> Advanced Art -  
><strong>3AB:<strong> Algebra 2/Trigonometry -  
><strong>4AB:<strong> AP U.S. History -  
><strong>5AB:<strong> AP Biology -  
><strong>6AB:<strong> Spanish 4 -  
><strong>7AB:<strong> Lunch  
><strong>8AB:<strong> Health -  
><strong>9A:<strong> Free Period  
><strong>9B:<strong>Physical Education - Coach Mathews

When I was done looking at my schedule and looking at the map to see where the rooms were, the door opened and I glanced up. I saw a blonde girl enter through the doors and she went up to the desk. I looked back down at my papers, figuring she was another new student or something. But then I noticed her feet on the ground in front of me. "Hello, I'm Sam," she said brightly. I looked up and she had a warm smile on her face.

"Hey, I'm Cruz," I said standing up, she extended her hand, so I took it and shook it firmly. I was studying her, and came to the conclusion that she was part of the normal group. She didn't look like a cheerleader, she definitely wasn't emo, I could tell she didn't skate, and she was part of student council. She had deep brown eyes, and a dazzling smile. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showing off her face.

"So, Cruz. You'll be shadowing me today, can I see your schedule?" She asked, I nodded and reached into the folder and handed my schedule to her. She looked it over, and then looked back at me. "We have English, Art, Health, and Gym together," she stated. I smiled slightly. "Well, let's get going, I'll show you to your locker," she said cheerfully, and walked out the door, me following behind her.

We made it to English, which was really easy. They were reading Beowulf, which I already read about ten times; it was such a good book. Next, we were off to art. Art was my favorite subject, and I was eager to see what they were doing. Sam and I sat next to each other and when the bell rang the teacher began to speak. "So class, we have a new student. Welcome Cruz," his voice filled the room and his hand pointed towards me as everyone turned around. I just nodded my head upward and then looked back at the teacher who was Mr. Withers. "You're lucky you came today because we're starting a new project," my body relaxed slightly, glad that I didn't come into the middle of a project. "We're doing personal expression, the concept is easy. It's about you. You're expressing solely yourself. But I want something _creative._So, open up your pads and start sketching!" He explained, and he seemed to be really excited about this. I opened up my pad and stared at the blank page. I had no idea what to do. How do I describe myself? After a few minutes, I felt Sam's eyes flash over to my empty paper.

"Can't think of anything?" She guessed.

I chuckled quietly. "Not at all," I replied.

"Me either," she laughed.

"For something so easy…this is actually kind of hard," I laughed.

"Yeah I know. But we get about three days to sketch up our idea, so I suppose we could slack on this one today," she said. I nodded my head in agreement, and Sam and I just talked. She asked me questions about myself, some I lied slightly on. She didn't need to know my whole life story. I started looking around the room, when my eyes flashed back to this little blonde girl, sketching away. She seemed to be in her own world, like nobody else was around. It was just her and her sketchpad.

"Who's that?" I asked Sam, nodding my head over to the girl.

"Oh," she replied, her tone of voice changing. "That's Aubrey Hamilton," she whispered, and I could tell there was a story behind this girl, and I knew that Sam was about to explain it to me. "She's kind of…_weird,_to say the least. She's really pretty, obviously. But she doesn't talk to anyone. She never hangs out with anyone. Guys used to be after her for the longest time, but then they just gave up knowing she'd never give them the time of day. The only guy I think I have ever seen her talk to is Peter. The captain of the football team," she said.

"Oh, yeah I met him before school started," I replied. Told you I was good at figuring people out.

"Yeah well, they had a thing like…freshman year. Then I don't know, he turned her lesbian or something," she laughed. I just nodded, my eyes flashing back over to her. I narrowed my eyes in concentration, trying to figure her out. She didn't seem weird to me but there was something distant about her. Something I couldn't quite figure out. This wasn't normal for me; I could _always_figure people out. But then her bright blue eyes met mine and I looked down, embarrassed that she saw me staring at her.

After the bell rang everyone rushed out of the room, leaving Aubrey alone packing up her things. I wanted to talk to her, to introduce myself and get to know her. But I needed to stay close to Sam so I wouldn't get lost in this maze of a school.


	3. Chapter Two: Eye Roll

**CHAPTER TWO: EYE ROLL**

All of last night and this morning I couldn't get Aubrey out of my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her face, her eyes, they way she concentrated intensely when sketching. Most importantly though, the story that Sam told me. Her words kept running through my head. I was trying to connect them to that girl in my art class, but nothing seemed to click. She didn't seem weird or peculiar. She seemed normal, but yet way out of my league. I got up, took a shower and tried to dress in something that made me look good, I had never been this nervous to talk to a girl before. I ran downstairs and grabbed my keys off the counter, my mom was still sleeping so I shut the door quietly and walked out to my car.

When I arrived at school, the scene was the same as yesterday. All the cliques standing in the same exact spots as if nothing changed. I guess I'd have to get used to seeing this everyday, it wasn't likely to change anytime soon. When I shut my car door, Sam was standing beside me with a guy who had dark hair and a tattoo on his arm. He had a black hat on, and he was wearing a Bring Me The Horizon t-shirt. "Cruz, I'd like you to meet Brody," Sam introduced us.

"Hey," I said, and shook his extended hand. Sam, Brody and I walked into the school towards our lockers. Brody seemed pretty chill, yet really quiet. I wondered if he was always this quiet, or just shy around new people. I grabbed my books for English and then walked off to class as the warning bell rang. I sat in a seat in the back and watched all the students file in.

Class was extremely boring, like yesterday. I had a pretty strong opinion about the book and hearing everyone else's weak opinions just made want to fall asleep. So many interpreted the book in the obvious way, when clearly there are underlying themes that none of them seemed to catch. Finally, the bell rang and I bolted out of the room as soon as I could. I went to my locker to exchange materials and then slowly walked to the art room. Although I wanted to talk to Aubrey, I didn't want to seem desperate by being the first one there, and then pounce on her as soon as she walked in the door.

I casually strolled in as the final bell rang and took my seat next to Sam, who was already sketching her ideas down. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," I replied, glancing up at Aubrey who was already fully engrossed in her work and hadn't even noticed me. I took out my sketchpad and started to draw something. After a few moments of just going through the motions, I got really into it and was drawing rapidly. I had actually really liked the idea I came up with and I didn't really want to stop drawing. I got so lost in my drawing that the bell rang before I even had a chance to make my way over to Aubrey's table. I quickly closed everything up and stood up, noticing Aubrey walking out the door. I picked up my walking place and saw her walking quickly. I finally caught up with her, and she didn't even notice I was beside her.

I coughed, hoping she'd realize I was next to her. "Hey," I said nervously. She looked over at me and rolled her eyes.

"Uh, hi?" She said, kind of questioning me as if to say, "why the fuck are you talking to me?" But I just shrugged it off.

"I'm Cruz," I said, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of her. "I'm new,"

"I know," she said, her tone annoyed. "Obviously," she muttered, and I wasn't quite sure if I was supposed to hear it or not.

"So-" I began, but she cut me off.

"Look, whatever people are betting you, I'll double the price if you just stop trying to talk to me," she said, stopping in her tracks and turning to face me. Her eyes were piercing and for a second it seemed like there wasn't anybody else in the hall except for her and me.

"Uh," I cleared my throat. "What? What are you talking about?" I asked her, utterly confused.

"Don't play dumb with me," she said sharply. "I know that you wouldn't just come up and talk to me, especially after Sam talked to you. So just tell me how much they're paying you and I'll double it," she explained, while reaching into her pocked at pulling out money.

I put my hand on hers, and pushed the money away. "I don't know what you're talking about, nobody is paying me to talk to you. I want to talk to you. But I can see you don't want to talk to me so I'll just go," I responded, my voice containing annoyance. I couldn't believe she would think I only wanted to talk to her because I was involved with a bet. She looked at me, and her eyes narrowed slightly. Her lips quivered, almost as if she wanted to say something. I turned away before she could make any more assumptions and walked quickly to my locker to get my things for math.

When I got home I went up to my room and flopped on my bed, I put my hands behind my head and stared at my ceiling. The entire day was fairly uneventful. Every class, Aubrey's words just kept running through my mind. I didn't know why she thought that someone had to make a bet with me to talk with her. Couldn't I just go up to her willingly and make conversation? Instead, she didn't even give me the time of day. Just like Sam had said. Then, suddenly I remember something in particular that she said. "Especially after Sam talked to you." So, she heard what Sam said to me? Well, if she heard that much then how did she not hear that I didn't care what she said? I exhaled deeply and got up and walked over to my backpack that was hanging off the edge of my computer chair. I took my homework out and started it, only to finish it in about fifteen minutes. So, that clearly didn't pass the time like I was hoping it would.

I decided I would go for a run to pass more time and hopefully clear my head. I changed into shorts, but decided not to put on a shirt, it was really hot out and I knew the sweat would only make my shirt cling to me uncomfortably. I grabbed my iTouch and put the headphones in my ears, blaring the music. I ran out of my house and the heat was almost suffocating, I pushed myself to run as fast as I could in hopes of forgetting everything that Aubrey said to me.

My body was fully drenched in sweat and a slow song started playing, I looked down to my iTouch and attempted to switch the song, when out of nowhere I was on the ground. I took my headphones off and sat up, my brown eyes staring into a pair of bright blue ones. It took me only half a second to realize that those eyes belonged to none other than Aubrey Hamilton.


	4. Chapter Three: Asshole

**CHAPTER THREE: ASSHOLE**

I closed my eyes tightly and shook my head, and then opened them again. Yup, Aubrey was definitely the girl I just bulldozed. I stood up and extended my hand to help her up. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you okay?" But she just sat there and looked at me, confused. She stared at my hand but didn't take it and she just kept sitting on the ground. "Oh my God, oh my God. Oh my God!" I mumbled over and over again while pacing.

"What?" Aubrey exclaimed. She either seemed irritated, or panicked. I couldn't quite tell which. My back was facing her and I smirked, but then composed my face and turned around on my heels to face her again. I stood there and looked at her for a second. "What?" She asked again, this time I could tell her voice was solely irritated.

"Well, I mean I bumped into you and you fell on the ground. You must have fell pretty hard or hit your head or something because now your memory is gone!" I ranted. I was being sarcastic of course, but I couldn't tell if she knew that or not.

"I didn't lose my memory. What the _hell_ are you talking about Cruz_?_" She retorted, _well good she remembers my name_, I thought.

"Well I said I was sorry, I asked if you were okay, and I extended my hand to help you up. None of which you responded to. So I was thinking you must've forgotten your manners," I shot back at her, my words clear and crisp. If she wanted to be a bitch, I could be a dick right back. I was wasting my time having interest in her anyway. I brushed past her, she was still sitting on the ground and I started running again.

"Cruz!" She shouted and I turned my iPod up louder. "Cruuuz!" She shouted again, louder this time.

I stopped running and turned around, lowering the volume on my iPod. "What?" I spat, why was she even wasting my time? She started running towards me and then stopped when she was about a foot in front of me. "_What?_" I repeated again, mocking the tone she had used before.

"I…I um…" she stuttered, I twirled my hand in a circular motion as if to say, _continue…get to the point._ She looked back at me, shocked and then snorted. A smile appeared on her face and then she opened her mouth. "I just wanted to inform you that you're an asshole," she smirked and titled her head to the side.

"And, you're a bitch so I guess we're even, huh?" I shot and patted her head with my hand as if she was a little kid. Her jaw dropped in awe; I could tell she was thinking where I got the balls to talk back to her. But if she wanted to hate me, then I hated her too. I ran full speed in the direction I was going and blared my music so I couldn't hear her voice again if she were to call my name.

** * * ***

When I got home I got straight in the shower and cleansed my body. I promised myself that after I got out of the shower I'd stop thinking about Aubrey, so I had to get everything out now. My impression of her was different now. I thought she was this quiet beautiful girl that was misunderstood. But now, I knew that she was bitchy and didn't let anyone in, so maybe what Sam said was true. It was the last time I would ever talk to her; the last time she would ever cross my thoughts. I turned off the water and listened to it drip while I stepped out and dried myself off. I walked into my room and threw on some boxers. I went downstairs to ask my mom what was for dinner and found a note on the fridge. "Running some errands, food is in the fridge to heat up. Love you sweetie, Mom" I ripped the note off the fridge and laughed. I peeked in the fridge and saw steak and potatoes, _perfect_ I thought to myself. I took the quiet time to eat and work on my art project, anything to help me keep my thoughts off Aubrey.


	5. Chapter Four: I Missed You Twinny

**CHAPTER FOUR: I MISSED YOU TWINNY**

I was watching television when I heard our doorbell ring. "I'll get it!" I shouted to my mom, wherever she may be. I got up off the couch and padded towards the door. I opened it slowly and smiled hugely when I saw who was there. "CHLOEY!" I exclaimed and grabbed her into a tight hug.

She giggled. "I missed you, twinny," she said and started walking into the house. I grabbed her suitcases and brought them inside and set them on the floor. Chloey was my twin sister; she didn't come to California with us right away because she was staying with her friend for a while. Even though we were the twins I still felt very protective of her because I was older, by two minutes.

"So how've you been baby sis?" I asked while she went and sat on the couch and I sat down next to her.

"Good, good," she said relaxed, "how's mom?" She whispered.

"Great, actually," I replied. Chloey smiled, and then my mom walked out into the living room.

"Chlo!" She cried, and tears were starting to form in her eyes. She ran over to Chloey and enveloped her in a tight hug, kissing her cheeks repeatedly. "I missed you sweetheart."

"I missed you too mom," Chloey responded. They sat down and started talking about everything. So I decided to bring Chloey's things upstairs and place them in her room, then I walked into my room, right next door. Eventually she came up and I could hear her putting everything away. A little while later she walked into my room.

"You want to knock maybe? What if I was naked Choley?" I said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up Cruz!" She laughed. "So what's up broski?"

"Nothing, you ready for school tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeeup, is it nice?"

"It's huge!" I exclaimed and we both laughed.

"Well I'll see you in the morning, 'night."

"'Night."

** * * ***

The next morning I got up and took a shower, Chloey had her own bathroom so it was nice that we wouldn't have to fight over it like at our old house. I came downstairs and grabbed a poptart. I could hear Chloey's little steps behind me doing the same thing. I grabbed my keys off the counter and walked to the car, Chloey getting into the passenger seat seconds later. She had her own car, but it was easier to just take one, not to mention cheaper on gas. The short ride there, she was full of chatter. Asking me questions about the classes and the students. "Are there any hot guys?" She gushed.

"Uh, Chlo? I'm not gay honey, so I'm not really inclined to answer that," I said, obviously.

She punched my arm playfully. "Ugh," she grunted. "Are they good looking?" She rephrased her previous question.

"I guess so," I replied, not wanting to talk about this. But finally, we arrived in the parking lot and I got out, swinging my backpack over my shoulder.

"Holy shit, this _is_ huge," she observed. I chuckled at the fact that I easily could've said 'that's what she said' but I refrained. We started walking towards Sam and Brody when all of a sudden Chloey came crashing into my arms. I looked over to see one of the jocks had just ran into her, literally _ran._

"Are you okay?" I asked her, once I got her steady.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shrugged.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" I turned to see Peter talking to Choley.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm okay,"

"Newport," Peter called me by my last name. "You didn't tell me you met someone _this_ gorgeous. I might just have to steal her from you," he winked; a sleazy wink, and Chloey blushed, looking at the ground.

"This is my twin sister, Chloey," I said, instantly becoming defensive. He was a player, and he just wanted to get in her pants.

"Oh, so I won't even have to fight you for her," he said and grinned, "well see you around, _Chloey,_" he spoke smoothly, emphasizing her name, and then walked back to his friends.

"Eeek!" Chloey squealed. "He is gorgeous Cruz!" She whispered screamed. I just rolled my eyes and proceeded towards Sam and Brody.

"Hey guys, this is my twin sister Chloey. Chloey these are my friends Sam and Brody," they started talking and I saw Aubrey walk by and look Choley up and down and then she gave me a dirty look, I just rolled my eyes. I didn't get why she even wasted her time looking at me. We all talked for a little while longer and then walked to our lockers, and Chloey walked into the office to get her schedule and meet the person whom she'd be shadowing.

I walked to English, a bore once again and then finally art. _Awesome,_ more time to spend with Aubrey. I hope she wouldn't be sending me daggers the whole class. I walked in and sat next to Sam. Aubrey was sitting in her normal spot, already drawing. I watched as people walked in and then I had a brilliant idea. When Aubrey gave me a dirty look earlier, first she was looking Chloey up and down. Maybe she was jealous that I was with her. Which meant, all I had to do was find a girl in our art class and flirt with her. I looked around and then I spotted her, Kendra Dailey. _Perfect_ I thought to myself and smirked.

I grabbed my sketchpad and walked over to her table, "Can I sit here?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and smooth. She looked over at me and smiled.

"Sure," she said flirtatiously. I smiled back and sat down next to her. "You're Cruz, right?" She asked and started playing with her hair. I hated when girls did that it was so annoying. But I had to suck it up. I quickly glanced over at Aubrey and saw her staring at us. _It was working._

"Yeah," I replied, smiling slightly and looking into her eyes.

"I'm Kendra," she replied and placed her fingers on my hand.

For the rest of class we didn't draw, we just messed around and laughed. Most of the time I wasn't really laughing, because nothing she said was funny. But, my jokes were funny and they made her giggle. Every once in awhile I would look out of my peripherals and see Aubrey glaring at us, and it made me smile wider because I knew I was getting to her. When the bell rang everyone got up and Aubrey took her time putting everything away, I think she was just trying to listen to Kendra and me. "So, Kendra are you busy Friday?" I asked her and her eyes flickered.

"I don't think so, why?" She asked, even though she already knew what I was going to ask her.

"Do you want to maybe, go out with me?" I asked, scratching the back of my head.

"I'd love to," she smiled.

"Alright, it's a date," I winked at her and tapped my finger to her nose and walked out of class. I could feel Aubrey's glare on my back and I smiled. _Mission accomplished._


	6. Chapter Five:A Guy Can Have A Little Fun

**CHAPTER FIVE: A GUY CAN HAVE A LITTLE FUN**

All week I was trying to think of where to take Kendra. I didn't want to take her some place too nice; because I didn't want her think I was looking for a serious relationship. But on the other hand, I wasn't going to take her some place shitty, because I'm not like that. Yes, I am using Kendra to get to Aubrey but she still deserves to be treated right. But then, I heard Peter was throwing a party so I decided that would be a better idea, hopefully Aubrey would be there. I went into art and sat next to Kendra, instead of Sam, like I continued to do all week. "So, where are you taking me tonight?" Kendra asked enthusiastically.

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could go to Peter's party together?" I asked, hoping she would agree. I also made sure I said it loud enough so Aubrey could hear. This way if she wasn't going, she would decide to go_._

"Oh," she said. "Yeah sure," she smiled. But something didn't seem right. I mean girls are confusing but that much is easy to sense.

"If you don't want to go that's fine, we can go to dinner and a movie or something," I suggested, although I really wanted to go to the party. By this time, I definitely knew Aubrey was listening because I could see her out of the corner of my eye.

"No, no that's fine," she assured me, but I decided I'd compromise.

"Well, maybe we could get a bite to eat before. I'll take you somewhere nice and then we'll go to Peter's party together," at this, Kendra perked up and I could tell she liked the idea.

"That sounds great," she smiled.

"Awesome, I'll pick you up at eight," Kendra nodded and we got to work on our projects. I really liked mine and I couldn't wait until it was finished. I was however, dreading the presentation. We had to stand up in front of the class and explain our drawing and why it is personal expression. I hated doing presentations.

The day just dragged and dragged. Oddly enough I was looking forward to my date with Kendra, and of course the party. I was really hoping that Aubrey would go. By the time gym came along, I just wanted to get out of there. Peter and Choley were both in my gym class. Peter was hitting on her all week, and in gym it was actually kind of gross. He kept checking her out_._ My sister! I even heard him say to one of his friends that she had a nice ass. That was the last thing I wanted to think of my sister having. Not to mention, he just looked at her as another girl to have sex with. I'm pretty sure she is still a virgin and I would hate for _Peter_ to be the one to take it away from her. But a brother can only do so much warning if his sister won't listen to him. I had been trying to tell her all week that he was just trying to get her in bed, but she insisted that he was a nice guy, and I suppose I had to let her make her own mistakes. So finally I stopped, but if she needed me I would be there to help her in a heartbeat.

Finally school ended and I walked out to the car and got in while I waited for Chloey to come along. Finally she arrived after saying goodbye to Peter, and she hopped in with a grin on her face. "What are you so happy about?" I said sarcastically as I started backing out of my parking spot.

"Peter asked me to his party," she gushed Girls were so annoying sometimes.

"Yeah, I'm going too. So I guess I'll see you there," I replied. "But I'm taking Kendra Dailey out first so you're going to have to drive yourself," I informed her.

"_Kendra Dailey?_" She scoffed. Not even a full week here and she already had gossip on people.

"Yeah…?"

"She's so, so…_slutty_ Cruz!" She exclaimed, clearly repulsed.

"Hey, you're talking to Peter so…" I countered.

"Whatever," she huffed and turned to look out the window. I just smiled to myself, it's not like I really liked her, I was just trying to get Aubrey to realize that she liked me. And, Kendra didn't even seem like that much of a slut. Sure, she wore revealing clothes but her personality wasn't _that_ bad, she could be funny sometimes.

As soon as we got home Chloey and I both told my mom our plans for the night. "Okay guys, but don't get yourselves _too_ impaired and _don't_ do anything stupid!" She warned us. She was an awesome mom. Obviously she knew what went down at high school parties and she allowed us to be teenagers and experience things. But if we did anything stupid then she'd ground us. I didn't get how my dad could have possibly hit her.

I stopped thinking about that immediately, I needed to be in a good mood tonight. I got in the shower, and then brushed my teeth and swished around some mouthwash when I got out. I walked into my room with my towel hanging around my waist. I shut the door behind me and hung my towel on my doorknob. I walked to my dresser and put on some boxers, then some cargo shorts and a button up shirt. I sprayed some cologne on and put my wallet and phone in my pockets. I looked at my clock and it was almost seven. I got in my car and plunked Kendra's address into my GPS. I still didn't quite know my way around town. I finally arrived, and her house was fairly nice, but not too over the top. I parked my car and got out, leaving it running, and walked up the pathway to her porch. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer the door. After a minute or so, Kendra opened the door and I must say she looked _hot._ She was wearing a tight strapless back dress that went about halfway to her knees and she was wearing red high heels. Her hair was pin straight and her bangs were clipped back. She must've noticed me checking her out because she cleared her throat.

"Uh...sorry. You just, you're, you look really…_nice_" I stuttered. I didn't want to tell her she looked hot, because I would by hypocritical by thinking Peter just thought of my sister as a piece of ass.

"Thanks," she blushed. We started walking to my car and got in. "So where are we going to eat?" She asked.

"I was thinking this little Italian place downtown, I hope it's good," I responded.

"Pani's?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's it. Is it any good?"

"Yeah, it's really good," she nodded. We made small talk most of the way, it wasn't awkward though. She knew how to make the conversation flow. We finally arrived and I got out and opened the door for her. "Thank you," she smiled. I shut the door behind her and took her hand. I opened the restaurant door for her and put my hand on the small of her back, leading her ahead of me. We sat down at a booth in the back. We were kind of blocked off from everyone else and it was really quiet. "This is really nice, Cruz. Thank you," she said, sincerely.

"No problem," I replied smiling. We both ordered the same thing, chicken pasta. The date with her was actually pretty fun. I got to know a lot about her, and she asked a lot about me. Some of which I modified, not wanting her to know everything. Finally we were both done and I paid the bill and walked her out to the car. I got in and started the engine. We finally got to Peter's house at about nine and the music was blaring. His house was huge. I parked my car on the side of the road and walked around the side of the car to open Kendra's door. She stepped out and I grabbed her hand as we walked up to Peter's house. I opened the door and lead the way, Kendra was following behind me and I was still holding her hand.

I looked around hoping to find Aubrey, and sure enough I did. She was sitting on the couch drinking out of a red cup. She had a few guys trying to hit on her and she politely, _slightly _flirted back. Her eyes met mine and I quickly looked away and leaned in towards Kendra's ear. "Do you want to dance?" I yelled over the music.

"I'd love to!" She shouted back and I led her to the dance floor. At first we just danced slightly apart but then gradually we started grinding. She was an awesome dancer and once lollipop came on, involuntarily my hands began to explore her body. My hands were on her hips and we were really getting into it. Once the song ended she stopped, "Get me a drink?"

"Sure," I chuckled. She nodded and grabbed my hand and we fought through the dancing people to the table where the drinks were. I handed her a red cup and got one for myself and we both chugged them. We started laughing at how fast we downed them and then grabbed another, and eventually we'd had four. By that time we were both a bit buzzed and decided to go back to dancing, the song "Dow On Me" started playing.

"I love this song!" She squealed. I laughed and we ran back to the dance floor and picked up where we left off. After the song was over we went over to one of the couches, I glanced over and saw that Aubrey was still in the same place. I went and downed two more beers and then plopped on the couch and pulled Kendra onto my lap. I didn't know if was the beer getting to me or what, but I didn't expect to get this flirtatious with her. She turned and her face was inches from mine. She wiped off my forehead and looked at her fingers. "You seem a wittle hot!" She yelled into my ear using a bit of a baby voice, and I surprisingly wasn't that annoyed like I usually am when girls do that. "We should get you out of this shirt," she said deviously and looked into my eyes with a sly smile on her face. I smiled back and she slowly started unbuttoning my shirt so I was just wearing a wife beater. I could see Aubrey looking at us out of the corner of my eye. So I knew exactly what to do.

I put my hands on Kendra's waist and pressed my lips to hers. She pulled away and giggled, and then brought her lips to mine again. We just kissed for a while but then _she _started tracing her tongue along my lips so I parted them. _A girl who makes the first move, nice._ I thought to myself. She slipped her tongue in my mouth and we intertwined our tongues. I peaked out of the corner of my eye again and Aubrey kept glancing at us. My lips started to twitch into a smile. I grabbed Kendra's waist and flipped her on to the couch so I was on top of her she squeaked and I moved my lips to her neck. But, I felt a little awkward with everyone watching us and since Aubrey already knew what was going on, I came up with a plan. I pulled away from her and picked Kendra up and then set her feet on the floor I grabbed her hand and pulled her along, she was giggling the whole way. I saw Aubrey watching us and her eyes grew wide. We ran upstairs and I tried to find a room. The first one was taken by people making out, the second one was taken by two people-basically doing it- and it seemed to be Peter's room. Then the third room was open so I closed the door behind me, throwing Kendra on the bed. She laughed and I climbed on to the bed next to her. "Now where were we?" I asked smoothly.

Kendra pulled my face towards her and started making out with me instantly. I wasn't going to have sex with her, but hey a guy could have a little fun right? Kendra was a really good kisser and she looked hot tonight. So all we did was make out and I felt around a bit.

Eventually the party was over and I took Kendra home. I pecked her on the lips and she tiptoed around her house, I was guessing she was sneaking in. I pulled away silently and then made it to my house. Chloey's car wasn't in the driveway, but it didn't matter I knew she was fine. Her and Peter were probably still hooking up, I just hoped she was careful. I slowly walked upstairs and flopped on my bed and fell asleep.


	7. Chapter Six: Damn I Was Amazing

**CHAPTER SIX: DAMN I WAS AMAZING**

**Aubrey's Point of View**

You had to be kidding me. First I see Cruz with this little brunette girl by his side and he's introducing her to everyone. Then, he gets jealous when Peter flirts with her. She's in my Trig class and she is so annoying. Her little perfect high pitched voice always having the right answers and her perfect designer clothes. Not to mention she could probably be a model. I didn't think Cruz was into that. But then, oh _then, _he moves right over to Kendra fucking Dailey, queen slut. First he tries to put the moves on me, then he moves on to _Chloey_ and finally he hits it off with Kendra all week? Flirting in front of me everyday, they were practically doing it at the party. Seriously _what the fuck?_ Well, if he wanted to be like that then fine. I could be like that too. I mean, so what if freshman year ruined me. Guys still thought I was pretty right? And if they found out I was looking they'd be all over me. It wasn't that hard to flirt with guys. All I needed to do was find the perfect one in out art class. I did a brainstorm.

Then it popped into my head. Collin Graham. He was perfect, absolutely perfect. He was gorgeous, obviously. He was a friend of Peter's, which was kind of a downside but whatever, good enough. He kind of had that bad boy, player thing about him, but he wasn't too extreme. I could do this, _Aubrey you can do this._ I prepared myself all night Wednesday to look hot and to have a whole new attitude about me. Maybe, just maybe I could be my old self again.

** * * ***

Walking into school Thursday wasn't the most awkward day of my life or anything. I was wearing a ripped jean mini skirt and a tight deep purple tank top. My hair was straight and my bangs were down. I had purple pumps on and a long necklace that grazed the top of my cleavage. I was wearing eyeliner, mascara, and lip-gloss. I didn't look _trampy_ not like Kendra. But anyway, all the girls glowered at me and the guys were definitely checking me out. Some stares were nice, others were really perverted, I could tell by their drooling expressions. Then finally, I walked passed Cruz and his little posse. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, and stayed staring for a moment, until our eyes met and he looked away. I smirked- it was working.

Trig was boring, and Peter kept glancing over at me, _ew._ But I didn't give him the time of day. I had let him see that he hurt me for long enough, he needed to know I was over it. Although the truth was, I'd never be _completely_ over it. There was another party tomorrow and I had to make sure I had Collin under my grasp and I had to make sure that Cruz was going to be there. I couldn't pay attention in Trig at all, and finally after what seemed like ages the bell rang. I rushed out of class to get my art supplies. But instead of being the first one to art class, I decided to wait, this way I'd know Cruz would see me, and of course, Collin. I looked at myself in my mirror that hung in my locker and fixed my make-up. I shook my head in disappointment. I couldn't believe I was stooping to this level. But something about Cruz, I just…I _wanted_ him. The first time I actually wanted someone since Peter. So I knew that I had to keep going.

I shut my locker and strutted off to class. I walked in and no doubt, Cruz's eyes were fixed at the door. He always watched everyone walk in before getting to work. His eyes widened when he saw me and I had to try my hardest to suppress my smile. I walked slowly into class, and looked around at Collin, whose eyes averted my glance at once. Good, so he was looking at me too. I was about to walk to my table, when I decided that the empty seat next to Collin had my name written all over it. I walked over slowly and bent down so my lips were next to his ear. "Is this seat taken?" I spoke, in the best seductive voice I could muster. I was hoping I didn't sound like a fool-but knowing my luck-I probably did.

His lips twitched into a smile as he looked at me, "Uh...no, no not at all. _Please_ sit," he spoke, _he_ was the one acting like a fool. I smiled and sat down next to him. I glanced at Cruz who was sitting next to Kendra. His face was close to hers, but I could tell he was looking at me out of his peripherals. Collin and I flirted the whole period. He was trying to make me laugh, and I giggled. I touched his arm flirtatiously and he put his arm on the back of my chair. Unfortunately, the bell rang and class was over. I walked out and smiled knowing that Cruz kept looking at Collin and me, so this was working. And it was working out _really_ well.

**Cruz's Point of View**

_Holy shit._ Aubrey looked so amazing; so gorgeous, so _hot._ I don't know what made her dress like that; I'd like to think it was because of me. But as soon as she walked into art class she went straight over to Collin, one of Peter's friends. _Of course_ I thought to myself. They were flirting all period. I tried my best to flirt with Kendra, but my heart just wasn't into it. Not to mention, Aubrey wasn't paying attention anyway. Maybe the whole Kendra thing had pushed Aubrey away instead of bringing her closer. _Fuck._ I always screwed everything up. I needed a better plan, one to make her come right to me. Or get extremely jealous that she'd have to talk to me or _something._ I thought and thought and thought all day long. And finally it just hit me, like a ton of bricks. _Brilliant._ I almost wanted to jump for joy. I ran to Sam's locker. "_Sam!_" I exclaimed.

She laughed and turned to me after putting a book in her locker. "_What?_" She responded, mocking my tone.

"Remember that story you were telling me about Aubrey?" I questioned.

"Mhm,"

"Well, who used to be her best friend?" I asked her.

"Um, Alexa Hunter," she replied.

"Who's that?" I asked her, I hadn't heard of her yet. She turned around and scanned the hallway and then pointed to a tall brunette girl in a really short skirt and a very revealing shirt. If Chloey thought _Kendra_ was a slut, I couldn't wait to hear what she would think about Alexa. Actually, yes I could wait. My eyes grew wide because she was hot. She was really, really hot. I smiled- this was perfect. Aubrey would definitely get jealous. "Oh," I said, trying to sound as if I wasn't checking her out. Sam rolled her eyes and chuckled before leaving. I waited until Alexa was away from her friends, until I walked in front of her to my car. I didn't want to talk to her first. I wanted her to come to me. I rushed to my car, and took off my shirt to change it. I wasn't cocky or conceited, but I knew I had a nice body. I worked out everyday I had a six-pack, my pecks and arms were toned. So, I fumbled through my car until I found a wife beater and slowly put it on, peaking out to see that Alexa was staring at me wide eyed. _Yes._ I smirked to myself.

She stopped at my car and I turned around. "Hey, I don't think we've met. I'm Alexa Hunter," she smiled and talked smoothly. Clearly, she's done this before.

"No, I don't think we have. I'm Cruz Newport," I introduced myself.

"_Cruz,_" she processed my name. "That's a _really_ sexy name," she flirted and came closer to me, putting her finger on my chest.

"Alexa isn't half bad either," I winked at her.

"Well maybe, you know since we both have sexy names…we should attend Dylan's party together this Friday?" She asked, and how could I refuse that offer?

"Maybe," I replied, not wanting to show her that I was overly interested.

She took my hand and pulled out a pink pen from her bag. "Well here's my number, you just let me know," she winked and then strutted off to her car. I looked around, hoping that Aubrey _didn't_ see that. I wanted her to think that I was taking Kendra, so at the party; she would be shocked that I was with Alexa. I don't know where I got so good at this game, but damn I was amazing.


	8. Chapter Seven: In Your Dreams Slut

**CHAPTER SEVEN: IN YOUR DREAMS SLUT**

I had an hour before I had to get Alexa and go to Dylan's party. Thankfully Aubrey didn't know I was taking Alexa and thankfully she was going, unfortunately she was going with Collin, I had a really bad feeling about him_._ I got in the shower and let the hot water run over the contours of my body. I got out and brushed my teeth and all that and then walked into my room and put boxers on. I walked to my closet and picked out blue plaid shorts and a blue Hollister t-shirt. I sprayed on some cologne, grabbed my phone and ran downstairs to grab my keys. Peter had already come to pick up Chloey so I was the last one to leave, saying goodbye to my mom on the way out. I got into my car and drove to Alexa's house. Before I even had time to get out she was already walking down the driveway, "Hey," I said once she got in the car.

"Hey," she smiled. We pretty much drove in silence, so I turned on the radio to make it less awkward. We finally got there and I walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. I grabbed her hand and we walked into the party. She handed me two beers, "Drunk up!" she winked, and downed two herself. I took a couple shots and then she asked me to dance. I agreed of course, although I was trying to figure out how it would be humanly possible for her to move seeing as though her dress was so tight and revealing it looked like it would rip at the slightest movement.

We walked to the dance floor and I spotted Aubrey dancing with Collin, but she didn't notice me. I made sure that Alexa and I were somewhat close to her, but not right next to her. That'd be a _tad_ obvious. Alexa wrapped her arms around my neck and I placed my hands on her waist. She brought her body close to mine and we started grinding. As the songs changed, so did Alexa's dancing positions. She turned around, her arms still around my neck. She moved her body up and down mine, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Aubrey.

But surprisingly, her reaction wasn't the reaction I wanted to see. She stopped dancing with Collin all together, and her face was pained, but that only lasted a second. Then rage filled her face and her cheeks turned beat red. I didn't quite understand this so I just shrugged it off and kept dancing with Alexa. After a few more songs, I really needed a drink. "Do you want me to get you a drink?" I asked into Alexa's ear. She nodded so I left and walked to the table where the drinks were. I took two more shots grabbed us both a beer and then started walking back over to where Alexa was. While passing people, I noticed Collin talking to a few guys, but Aubrey wasn't with him. Then I spotted Alexa and right next to her was Aubrey. Aubrey seemed to be speaking harshly Alexa, so I got closer so I could hear what was going on.

"You are such a _whore!_" Aubrey exclaimed.

"_Puh-_lease, Aubrey. You're just jealous that I got the hot new kid," Alexa said, flipping her hair back.

Aubrey laughed. "Jealous of…_you?_" She spat. "In your dreams, slut,"

Alexa was about to say something but then she spotted me walking towards her. She met me half way and placed her lips on mine. I smiled and wanted to pull her closer, but I had a beer in each hand. She wiped her lip and then looked at Aubrey and fake smiled. "Oh, hey Aubrey," I said, cheerfully.

"Hi," she grumbled.

I handed Alexa her beer and we both downed them. "Let's get some fresh air," Alexa smirked. I nodded and then followed her outside. As soon as we got outside Alexa pushed my against the house and crashed her lips into mine. At first I was surprised but then my hands landed themselves on her waist and I kissed her back. She started making out with me, and I obliged. Unfortunately, my phone started buzzing so I stopped and looked at the number. It was Chloey.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Cruz? Cruz…_help!_" She screamed. I shut my phone immediately and started to run inside, but stumbled slightly and realized I was pretty wasted.

"Where are you going?" Alexa called after me, but I ignored her. I ran through the house searching for Chloey. She wasn't downstairs. I ran up the stairs, and opened each door, she wasn't in the first three. But then I heard struggling. I walked around the corner and saw a door at the end of the hallway. I ran to it and barged in. Chloey was half naked and Peter was on top of her. I ran over to them and pulled Peter off, causing him to land on the floor.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" I yelled at him. "She's my fucking sister!"

"Dude, calm down. She wanted it, she's _easy,_" he said simply, while getting up.

I punched him square in the face, knocking him back down. "Don't you _ever_ say that about her," I warned him. "Get dressed Chloey," I growled, not taking my eyes off Peter. He cupped his nose and started shuffling to his feet.

"You don't want to do this," he said, sternly.

"Oh, but I do," and then I punched him in the stomache. "Don't you touch her again, _ever,_" I shouted at him. I took Chloey by the arm and walked her out to the car, putting her in the front seat. She started bawling. I walked to the driver's side and got in, the engine roared and I started driving away. But a commotion was going on in one of the cars parked on the road.

And then I saw Aubrey's horrified face peak around a guy's bare back.


	9. Chapter Eight: Piece Of Shit Scumbag

**CHAPTER EIGHT: PIECE OF SHIT SCUMBAG**

**Aubrey's Point of View**

I watched as Alexa placed her lips on Cruz's, _gag_ me. She was such a slut. I rolled my eyes and watch her strut off with him. I didn't realize I was glaring at them when Collin came up behind me and slid his hands around my waist. I turned around and looked at him. "Aub, you look so hot tonight," he said, looking at my hot pink dress and sliver heels.

My face flushed a deep pink. "Thanks,"

He grabbed my hand, "C'mon!" He shouted and dragged me through the crowd of drunks and dancing people.

"Where are you taking me?" I giggled, following along. He didn't answer but kept running. Eventually we made it outside and started walking. I passed Alexa and Cruz making out, he was too busy sucking face to even notice I was there. We kept walking and eventually made it to his car. He opened up the door and I slid in, still unsure of what was going down. He climbed in after me and pulled my face closer to his and brushed my lips with his. He pulled away for a moment and then brought his lips back, kissing me with more passion. I kissed him back, seeing that there was no harm. With any luck Cruz would see us.

Things started to get more heated, like him slipping his hand up my dress and laying down on top of me. I tried pushing him off, but he was much too strong. He had me straddled and he took off his shirt. I heard a car passing by us and I craned my neck around Collin to see Cruz staring directly at me. Collin pushed me back down and started kissing my neck. I closed my eyes and tears started streaming down my face. I felt a gush of cool wind and then pressure was released from my body. I opened my eyes to see Cruz's back and his fist coming down. I scrambled into a sitting position and crawled to the edge of the seat to see him beating the _shit_ out of Collin. I normally don't like violence but I had to smile. "Piece of shit scumbag," Cruz muttered, and kicked him. He looked at me and grabbed a hold of my waist swooping me up into his arms, and then set my feet back on the ground. "Are you okay?" He asked me sincerely.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I whispered and fixed my dress, "thanks," I said so softly, I was surprised he heard it. I was trying to contain my tears but they just slipped out, streaming quickly down my face. Cruz pulled me into a hug and I cried into his chest. I wasn't just crying about Collin, I was crying about everything that I kept bottled up inside. I cried about Peter, I cried about losing all my friends, and having everyone treat me like I was some sort of disease. Not letting Cruz in, even when I was attracted to him. Seeing him with Kendra, and then Alexa. Everything poured out while he was holding me tightly in his arms.

**Cruz's Point of View**

I stroked Aubrey's back as she cried into my chest. Meanwhile Collin was lying on the ground groaning in pain. Good, the bastard deserved it. When a girl doesn't want to hook up, you listen to her. The concept really isn't that hard. I could feel Aubrey's chest gasp for air and her tears soak into my shirt, and I squeezed her tighter to my chest. She seemed to have quieted down, so I lifted up her chin with my finger. I slowly bent my face down to hers and was just about too brush my lips against hers when a firm hand jerked me away from her, making Aubrey fall to the ground. I spun around and saw Peter's enraged face staring back at me. He stepped in front of me and lunged towards Aubrey grabbing her up by her arm in one fluid motion. He pinned her against Collin's car and yelled in her face. "You little _bitch,_" he spat.

I ran towards him and pulled him off her. "Don't talk to her like that!" I yelled at him, déjà freaking vu . He punched me in the face and I fell to the ground cradling my jaw.

He pushed Aubrey against the car again and I heard her wince in pain. "What? I have to fucking force you to give it to me but you give it up to Collin _and_ Cruz willingly? Am I not good enough, just _look_ at me bitch!" He screamed in her face. At this, I jumped up and ran at him full speed. I pulled him off her and threw him on the ground. I started throwing punches anywhere with as much force as I could muster. His face was completely filled with blood and he curled up into a ball next to Collin. Aubrey broke down into tears again, I brought her towards me and turned around to get in my car when I realized that I told Chloey she could take it home.


	10. Chapter Nine: Lighter Than A Feather

**CHAPTER NINE: LIGHTER THAN A FEATHER**

"Uh," I started scratching the back of my head. "I kind of let my sister take the car home…" I said looking down.

"It's fine, I'll walk," Aubrey replied, and started bending down to take off her heels.

"No, absolutely not," I said and put my hand on her arm, "_I'll_ walk."

"What-" she started to say, but then squeaked and started giggling as I scooped her up, "what are you doing?" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Carrying you…obviously," I said matter-of-factly, smirking.

She laughed, "You really don't have to carry me Cruz. You've done enough, I mean seriously, I _have_ to be heavy!" She rambled on.

I chuckled. "You…heavy? Yeah right, you're lighter than a feather," I smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"So, where do you live?" I asked her.

"Riverside, keep walking to the end of this road and then take a right. My house is about five houses down, it's blue," she explained. We walked for a while in silence. I wanted to ask her what was up with Peter yelling at her, but then I didn't know if I should. I didn't want to make her cry again; she was obviously pretty hurt by him. But, I was really curious, who wouldn't be? "What are you thinking about?" She asked me, tilting her head up to see my face.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing."

"Just ask me, I know you want to," she said plainly.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

She sighed. "Peter and I had a thing freshman year. He was the popular guy, just like he is now, and I was the lucky girl he chose to crush on. We started hanging out a lot and talking all the time. He was really sweet," she explained, "then, things started to change. I guess he was getting shit from his buddies, because he wanted to hook-up. It's not like I was prude, I was just taken by surprise because he never mentioned stuff like that before. So, he invited me to a party at his house. The night was going great we were dancing, he had quite a lot to drink and was beyond wasted. He took my hand and brought me upstairs to his room," she paused, and I think she was trying not to cry. Then she exhaled deeply, "so, I was sitting on his bed and he came over next to me and we just started kissing. Then he started to get more aggressive. He pushed me down on the bed and got on top of me. He started kissing my neck, and then he started tugging on my shirt. I figured it wasn't going to go that far so I just let it slide. But then he started going for my jeans and my bra and underwear. I was trying to push him off, but nothing was working he was much stronger than I was. I tried screaming, but he just slapped me and covered my mouth. And then he, he…" she trailed off and I already knew how it ended up.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said through barred teeth. The bastard raped her! What the fuck? He was worse than I ever even imagined. I took a deep breath, "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"No," she said, almost inaudibly, "and you can't either Cruz, please. I've never told anyone and I don't even, I don't…"

"You don't know me, don't trust me, yeah. But you don't have to worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. Aubrey, I'm so sorry that happened to you. He's an asshole, a fucking douche bag," I rambled, starting to get heated. I didn't want to upset her more so I added softly, "you didn't deserve that, or what happened with Collin."

"Thanks. Tonight was awful. It brought back so many memories. After the Peter thing I just shut everyone out. All of my friends and any future guys, it didn't matter if they were nice or not, I just didn't need it to happen again. Then the girls started saying that Peter turned me lesbian, because I wouldn't talk to any guys."

"Yeah, that's what Sam said to me," I told her.

"Exactly. So Peter has made my life hell, and then tonight when Collin… I want to have sex with someone when I am ready and I love them. Not someone who doesn't care about me at all," she said, her voice saddened.

"Yeah," was all I could think to say. She's been through a lot, and I felt bad for her. After that we started walking in silence again, I turned on to her road and looked for a blue house. I spotted it and kept walking. "We're here," I said when we got to her doorstep. But she didn't say anything. I looked down to see that she was sleeping. I walked around her house to see if I could spot which room would be hers. I saw it around back; there was a sun catcher with her name on it. I walked in the back door as quietly as I could. Everything was pitch black and I could hardly see anything. I tiptoed upstairs and opened her door. I set her on the bed and pulled the covers over her. She pulled them closer to her body and I swear as I was walking away she mumbled my name.


	11. Chapter Ten: Cold Hearts Don't Cry

**CHAPTER TEN: COLD HEARTS DON'T CRY**

The rest of my weekend was filled with my mind thinking of Aubrey, constantly. Not a second passed where she wasn't on my mind. Everything reminded me of her. I couldn't help but think that she mumbled my name in her sleep. So I must have gotten into her wall right? She must've let me in if she was thinking about me. She let her guard down; she told me what happened to her. She _trusted_ me. On Monday I should be able to walk right up to her in art and sit next to her and talk to her. We should be able to make plans for me to take her out and I can finally get to know her, right? _Wrong._

I walked into school on Monday, confident that Aubrey finally realized that I was a good guy. That I wasn't going to hurt her. English dragged on, like always, because I was looking forward to art. There were two minutes left of class and the I swear the hands of the clock were going backwards, just to make me go insane. I was tapping my fingers due to anxiousness and I wasn't paying attention at all, my eyes were focused on the clock ticking the last seconds until the bell rang. Three…two…one, BEEP. _Finally,_ I sighed. Everyone shuffled out of the classroom and I was just about to walk out of the door when my teacher called after me. "Cruz!"

I rolled my eyes and turned around. "Yes?"

"I noticed you haven't been paying attention lately…"

"Well, I've already read Beowulf so many times, and it's just boring for me. I'm sorry," I wasn't _completely_ lying. English was really boring.

"Well if you were paying attention today you would've heard that we're starting a new project," he spoke to me like I was mentally challenged. I wasn't stupid, I was just anxious to get to my next class.

"Oh."

"Well, you have to write a short essay on how love connects to the meaning of life," he said, handing me a yellow sheet with the directions. I just nodded showing him I understood as I took the paper, "I hope you haven't done this _so many times,_ Mr. Newport," he said sarcastically, it took all of my willpower not to roll my eyes. "Anyway, it's due in a few weeks so you should have plenty of time."

"Okay, thanks Mr. Fletcher, and I'm sorry," I apologized and walked out of his room quickly. I shoved the yellow paper with the directions for the project in my backpack and took out my art supplies. I shut my locker and walked quickly to art, hoping I wouldn't be late. I managed to make it in the door as soon as the bell rang. My art teacher looked up and sighed, but said nothing. I looked around and saw that Collin had already moved on to Kendra, _figures._ I walked over to where Aubrey was and pulled out the empty chair to the right of her. "Is this seat taken?" I smirked, knowing that she would allow me to sit there.

She looked up at me and rolled her eyes. "Yes it is," she said coolly, I smiled thinking she was referring to it being taken by me, but then she shoved her bag into it and pushed the chair back towards the table. I looked at her, my face full of confusion. I thought we were at least on the friends level now, but I guess not. I carried her home for God's sake. I saved her from Collin _and_ Peter, and this is how she fucking repays me? _Sweet._

I turned around on my heels and sat next to Sam, it had been awhile since I sat next to her in art. "Oh, am I good enough to sit next to _Cruz?_" She said harshly.

"I…uh, um…I," I stammered, and she just started laughing.

"_Relax._ I'm just kidding," she smiled.

I sighed in relief. "Oh," I chuckled.

"I heard about your heroic moves at the party Friday. Your sister _and_ Aubrey all in one night?" she said, raising her eyebrows and smirking.

"Yeah, that was a _mistake,_" I mumbled, and looked up at Aubrey who was engrossed in her drawing, _she would be._

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused.

"Chloey, no mistake there. She's my sister," I said. "But, Aubrey? I saved her from that fucker over there," I said nodding my head towards Collin. "I carried her all the way to her house, snuck her into her room, and tucked her into bed and I didn't even get a thank you. I got a roll of her eyes, and bitchy remarks," I spoke angrily. I wasn't about to hide my anger, I wasn't going to lower my voice so Aubrey couldn't hear. I was pissed. I beat _two_ people up for her. "Oh, _and,_" I began, forgetting all about Peter. "Peter comes over and shoves her against Collin's car, and yells in her face and I defend her and beat him up too!" I exclaimed. I was _disgusted_ with Aubrey. I really was wasting my time.

Sam put her hand to my shoulder. "Listen, there's only so much you can do to help someone out. If they don't want your help, just give up," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, she's a waste of my time," I said, and glared at Aubrey who was looking back at me. It looked like she was trying to hold back tears, but I must've been imagining it. People with _cold hearts_ don't cry.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Not Just A HookUp

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: NOT JUST A HOOK-UP**

Just being in the same room with Aubrey was making me pissed off. I focused on my drawing so I wouldn't look around and end up catching a glimpse of her. Finally the bell rang and I bolted out of class. I was putting my things in my locker when I noticed Alexa had walked past me with her friends, I quickly got my things and shut my locker. "Alexa!" I called after her. She turned around and looked at me, and then turned back to her friends and told them they could go ahead. I started walking towards her and she met me halfway. "Hey, about the other night-" I said, but she cut me off.

"Yeah, about the other night," she said in a mocking tone. I guess I deserved that; I didn't text her or anything after I just left her to get Choley. The least I could've done was let her know what happened instead of making her wait until Monday.

"I'm sorry," I started, "Peter was trying to do stuff with my sister, and she didn't want him to. So I had to go find her. Then as I was about to bring her home, Collin was forcing stuff on Aubrey Hamilton. It was really crazy and I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you what happened," I explained, my voice pleading.

"You could've at least called me, or texted me even!" She exclaimed.

"I know, I know. I'm really sorry Alexa," I said as convincingly as I could. "Is there anyway I could make it up to you?" Whoa, _whoa._ Where was this coming from? Well actually, I didn't need Alexa to make Aubrey jealous anymore. I was over Aubrey and her mixed signals. Honestly, Alexa wasn't that bad. She was pretty fun, she dressed a little on the slutty side, but she was still pretty. Maybe something could actually happen between us.

"We could go out again?" She suggested.

"Sure, how about this Friday?"

"Sounds great," she smiled.

"Okay, I'll pick you up at eight," I winked and then walked to my next class.

** * * ***

After school Chloey got in the car and huffed while slamming the door. "What's _your _issue?" I asked her.

"You," she retorted.

"What the fuck did I do?"

"Alexa, _really_ Cruz?" She asked, disgustedly.

"So?"

"You can stop using her to make Aubrey jealous," she rolled her eyes.

How did she know that? I turned to her in astonishment. "I'm not using her…this time. I'm done with Aubrey. I don't know what the hell her problem is, but I'm just wasting my time," I said, defending myself.

"So you admit that you were trying to make Aubrey jealous?" Chloey said, while raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, I do admit to that. I liked her, and I thought maybe if I went out with Kendra and Alexa she'd realize she wanted me. But that's not the case. She didn't even thank me for saving her," I replied.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. I put the key in the ignition and we drove home in silence.

The rest of the week was hell, _pure_ hell. Every time I saw Aubrey I received a harsh glare. She really seemed to hate me, and I hadn't the slightest clue why. I tried my best to forget about her when I was with Alexa, and for the most part I did. We always walked in the hallway together, and we sat together at lunch. I was really starting to like her, more than in a friends or a hook-up sort of way. She was nice and funny, and she was surprisingly really smart. She was pretty and when she _wasn't_ with all of her Barbie Doll friends, she was actually normal and fun to be around.

Finally Friday rolled around, and I took her out to eat at a restaurant on the pier. It was nice, you could hear the waves crashing and the seagulls chirping, and the food wasn't half bad. "Do want to see a movie?" I asked her after we were done eating.

"Sure, what one did you have in mind?"

"A Haunting In Connecticut?" I offered.

"Yeah! That seems really good," she said, excitedly.

I had wanted to see that movie for a while as well, "Cool."

We walked back to my car and drove to the theatre, which was about five minutes away. When we got there, the previews were just starting. We got in and found a seat towards the back. The whole time we were just sitting there, but suddenly when a really scary part came up she flinched and put her hand on top of mine. I lifted my hand up and then she intertwined her fingers with mine. Squeezing it whenever she got scared. It was starting to get really intense and then she buried her head in my chest, squeezing my shirt with her hand. I rubbed her back and then she sat up to watch the movie again. I casually slung my arm around her shoulder, and I saw a smile play at the corner of her mouth.

"That was really scary, didn't you think so?" She said while we were walking out to my car.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Eh, it was alright,"

She playfully rolled her eyes. "I was terrified, if you didn't notice," she giggled.

I chuckled softly and then started driving back to Alexa's house. When I pulled in the driveway, I got out and opened the door for her and walked her to the door, my hand around the small of her back. "Do you um, want to come in?" She mumbled.

I thought about it for a second, and realized there wasn't really any harm. "Sure."

She unlocked her door and led me to her living room. We sat on the couch while she flipped through the channels on the television. But then she shut it off and turned to me abruptly.

"I won't lie, I _really_ want you to kiss me right now," she said.

I chuckled. "Well, honesty is the best policy."

"Exactly," she agreed.

I leaned in slowly and pressed my lips against hers. I brought my hand to her cheek and then wrapped my hand around her neck. It started off as a slow, sweet kiss. But then things started to get really heated. She brought her body closer to mine and tangled her fingers in my hair. Her tongue lightly tickled my lips and I parted them, and she slipped her tongue in my mouth. I reciprocated and our tongues started exploring the inside of each other's mouths. We were both panting for breath and I laid her down on the couch so my body was now on top of hers. My hands reached for the bottom of her shirt and my fingers traced up her back to unclasp her bra. She just ripped my shirt right off and then gaped at my body, I couldn't help but smirk. I took her shirt off, and pulled away from kissing her, her body was nice and toned too. We were both panting, and then she pulled my face back to hers and kissed my lips. I moved my lips down her neck, kissing nice and soft. My fingertips grazed the top of her chest and she shivered. I smiled into her neck and kept kissing it. I lightly started licking a small spot on her neck and a light sigh escaped from her mouth and she giggled.

Then, apparently it was _her_ turn. She pushed me off her and then came on top of me. She started kissing down my neck and down my chest to my stomach, and then just above where my jeans were. She casually unzipped my pants and started pulling them off while I did the same to her. She straddled me with her knees and then slowly took off her bra and threw it on the ground. She came back and started making out with me and then kissed down my neck, licking little trails down occasionally. She started tugging for my boxers but I pushed her away and sat up. I looked at her, and her eyes were full of hurt. I brushed my hands through my hair and looked at the ground. "Listen, Alexa. I just don't want to have sex with you. I've known you for what, two weeks? We're moving _way_ too fast," I explained.

She looked at me shocked and surprised. "You mean…I'm not just a hook-up?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"No. I want to get to know you."

She smiled. "Well, I want to get to know you too."

Suddenly we heard keys trying to unlock her front door and then the door opened. We sat there frozen. "Alexa?" A male's voice called.

"Shit! Hide!" She whisper screamed.

This _wasn't_ going to end well.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Close Call

**CHAPTER TWELVE: CLOSE CALL**

"Yes daddy?" Alexa called sweetly to her father, while pulling her clothes on over her body.

"Where?" I whisper screamed back.

"Back door," she motioned to a sliding glass door a few feet away.

"Who's here with you?" He asked, his tone becoming a little hard. I grabbed my clothes off her floor and ran quietly to the back door.

"Uh," she paused and looked at me. I mouthed the word "remote." "No one dad, it's just the TV!" She said and then quickly turned it on. I slipped out the back door and closed it just as her father stepped into the living room. Phew, that was such a close call.

When I finally got home it was around one in the morning, and Chloey was sound asleep. She decided to lay off the parties for a while; she was still traumatized by the whole Peter incident. That bastard. I slipped into bed quietly and fell asleep instantly. When I woke up the next morning I had three new next messages, they were all from Alexa. 

I decided I'd just call her. I wasn't that much of a fan of texting. "Hey, I'm finally up," I laughed.

"It's about time! Last night was a close call," she giggled, "so what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a run?" I asked.

"Sure! I was just about to go for one myself, I'll meet you at your house in ten," she said and then hung up.

I got out of bed and brushed my teeth, threw on a pair of shorts and slipped my sneakers on. I went outside and waited on my porch for Alexa. She finally got there and she looked hot. She was wearing tiny black soffe shorts and a hot pink sports bra. I got up and walked towards her, meeting her at the end of my driveway. "Hey," I smiled and putt my hands on her waist and kissed her.

"Hey," she laughed.

"So where to?" I asked her as we started running.

"Eh, I don't know. Just around," she shrugged. We started picking up with pace, and we talked about a lot of things, about getting to know each other. I learned that she really liked screamo music and she wanted to settle down and have an actual relationship instead of just hooking up all the time. Eventually we stopped talking, and just listened to each other's in-sync breathing. We were getting closer to my house so we started sprinting, and competing to see who could get there first. When we got there we both fell onto the grass, gasping for air.

"I won!" I said after catching my breath.

"No!" She protested, "I won."

I rolled over and hovered above her. "No," I whispered softly, looking into her brown eyes, "I believe _I_ won."

"Well," she said quietly. "I think-"

But I cut her off with a nice soft kiss, leaving her lips smiling underneath mine. She rolled her eyes, "Fine. If that gets to be my reward for losing, you can win," she said as if it was some huge burden. I laughed and rolled onto my back, taking her hand in mine. We just laid there looking up at the clouds.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Live A Little

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: LIVE A LITTLE**

Alexa and I started hanging out everyday. Chloey was giving me the cold shoulder because she didn't like Alexa. But it wasn't her position to tell me to stop talking to her; she was judging Alexa before getting to know her. She came over a lot, and Chloey either went out or stayed in her room, and Alexa definitely noticed. My mom on the other hand, loved Alexa. We had been talking and getting to know each other for about a month now, and I barely even noticed Aubrey anymore. Except for when her she glared at me whenever she saw me. I gave up on trying to figure her out; clearly I had done something to her that I didn't know of, if she really cared all that much she'd talk to me. But tonight was Friday and I decided that I was going to ask Alexa to be my girlfriend. I was getting the vibe that she'd say yes, so I wanted to make it extra special.

I called Alexa up. "Hello…Cruz is awesome!" She exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're taking notice," I chuckled.

"Well, you're the one who stored your name in my phone," she laughed.

"Anyway, do you want to come somewhere with me?" I asked her.

"Sure thing, what time?"

"Now?" I asked.

"Okay, see you soon!" She replied.

"Bye."

I got in my car and drove to her house, when I pulled in the driveway, she was sitting on her porch waiting for me, and then she started walking to the car. "Hey," she smiled when she got in the car.

"Hey," I said and she immediately started fumbling with the stations, it was custom by now. I didn't mind though, we were into the same type of music. Plus, I thought it was cute when she started singing along to the songs. Surprisingly, she didn't ask where we were going. I was glad for that, I didn't want to have to explain myself to her. I pulled into a parking spot in the beach, the sun was set and it was on the verge of getting dark. The sky was pink, purple, and orange and it was really cool. I thought Alexa would love it. When we got out, I took my shoes off, as did she and I grabbed her hand. We started walking in silence, listening to the sounds of the beach. After a few minutes I finally got up the courage to talk to her. "So…Alexa?"

"Yeah Cruz?"

"Well…I know we have only known each other for a month, but I am really starting to fall for you. I think you're really fun to be around, and we have a lot in common," I explained and then finally looked up at her face. "So I was wondering if you um, wanted to be my girlfriend?" I asked her, scratching the back of my neck and averting my eyes to the ground.

"Cruz, I'd love to be your girlfriend," she said sweetly. I looked up at her and grabbed her face, kissing her lips softly. I pulled away and we both smiled.

"I think we should go swimming," I suggested and took off my shirt.

"I don't know…" Alexa said skeptically.

"Oh, c'mon. Live a little," I winked at her. She sighed and then took off her shorts and tank top so she was in her black bikini. I intertwined my fingers with her and we started running into the water. I pushed her under the water with me, and then came up for air. I brought her closer to me and kissed her once and then a second time. Then we started kissing for longer. I pulled away from her and then brought her in for a hug, resting my chin on her head.

"The sky is really beautiful," she said quietly.

"I thought you might like it," I replied.

For the rest of the night we just walked around the beach, and I eventually brought her home. It was nice knowing she was my girlfriend. But oddly, before I fell asleep the person that came to my mind was _Aubrey._


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Your Loving Heart

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: YOUR LOVING HEART**

**Aubrey's Point of View**

A whole month had gone by since everything happened with Cruz. I didn't even know what to do, after he saved me and I spilled everything out to him, I couldn't be friends with him. He knew too much, and I didn't like people knowing every detail of my life. So I _had_ to push him away. It was the only logical thing to do. That day in art had killed me though. He was so confused when I wouldn't let him sit next to me, and then to hear that it was a mistake to save me, and that I was a waste of his time. I wanted to cry. So I had to stiffen up, I had to show him I wasn't weak. Anytime he stole a glance at me I glared at him, and eventually he caught on and started glaring back at me. So I knew he was mad at me. But then he started hanging out with Alexa, every _freaking_ second. He didn't even notice me or acknowledge me. It was like he never even met me, like nothing ever happened. 

The hall was buzzing with the latest news, Alexa and Cruz were officially a couple. That was something new because Alexa never had boyfriends. She had _flings_ and _hook-ups._ So why did she have to choose Cruz? He was nice, he was a good person and she had to go and ruin him? Now he'd turn into a spineless asshole like all of the other people Alexa hangs out with. Maybe it was for the better, maybe I would stop crushing on Cruz, and maybe I could stop thinking about him. Once he lost all of his good qualities, what would be left for me to like? Other than his chocolate brown eyes, and the way his hair fell perfectly over his face. When he smiled, his whole face lit up and he looked like a little kid. The way his body was perfectly toned and protective. _Snap out of it!_ I mentally hit myself, I couldn't be fantasizing about Cruz, it was done. It was over. He hated me, and I hated him. That's how it was supposed to be, that's how it _had_ to be.

I was sitting in art early, like everyday. When I wanted to barf my brains out and smack that little slut across her face. Must they make out right in front of the art room? "I have to go to art Lex," Cruz said. Of course he had a cute little nickname for her.

"But," Alexa argued, "I'll miss your kisses," she whined. _So annoying._

"I'll give you one more for the road," Cruz chuckled and leaned in and gave her a long, soft kiss. Those should be _my_ lips, not hers.

"I'll see you after school," Alexa said cheerfully and then walked off, Cruz stood there for a moment just _staring_ at her.

"Stop drooling," Sam joked and pretended to wipe drool from his chin.

"I wasn't drooling!" Cruz protested and they both started laughing. Why was he so Goddamned likeable? I rolled my eyes and began drawing. We were still on the same project, it was supposed to last until the end of the year. I got sidetracked as I started listening into Sam and Cruz's conversation. I found myself doing that often, I had to be updated on his love life. What if he said something about me and I missed it? Damn, I was pathetic.He'd never say anything about me anyway. "So I hear you and Alexa are dating?" Sam questioned.

"Why yes we are," Cruz said proudly. How could he _possibly_ be proud of her?

"Tell me _all_ about it," Sam pushed.

Cruz sighed. "Okay," he gave in. "So I called her up Friday night and asked her if she wanted to come somewhere with me. I picked her up and brought her to the beach. The sky was different shades of purple, pink, and orange. It was really cool, and I knew she would like it. So, we started walking along the beach in silence, holding hands. After a few minutes I just told her how I felt about her. That she was fun to be around, and we have a lot of common, and I have really started falling for her. Then I asked her to be my girlfriend," he explained, it was so cute how he was slightly embarrassed to explain the story, yet really happy at the same time.

"Awww!" Sam gushed.

"Stop," he chuckled. "So anyway, we ran into the water and then I brought her closer to me and started kissing her. Then I just brought her in for a hug and we looked at the sky. After that we just walked around the beach and started talking more. I could just talk to her all the time," he said. "I really, _really_ like her. I've never fallen so hard for a girl before," he confessed, _of course._ Alexa just had him under her little spell. You just wait Cruzy boy, she's going to stab a knife right through your loving heart.

I shook my head and then began drawing. I was nuts. Listening into conversations, fantasizing about Cruz. I really needed to stop this. I sighed and hen focused on my project. Why did I always ruin the things I wanted most?


End file.
